Director, Strategy & Planning

Australia’s $4.5 trillion superannuation industry is evolving rapidly, shaped by regulatory change, technological disruption, demographic shifts, and rising member expectations. As the largest fund in Australia, defining the strategic direction of AustralianSuper has never been more important to deliver the best outcomes for our members and ensuring the Fund continues to grow successfully. The Director, Strategy & Planning is an important senior member of the Investments Strategy & Planning team within the CIO Office.

Your New Role

The Director, Strategy & Planning is responsible for driving the development of the Investments domain and evolving the operating model to achieve best outcomes for our members. The Director ensures the team is equipped to deliver high-quality outcomes, fosters a culture of continuous improvement, identifies, and then leads the implementation of cross-functional initiatives.

Responsibilities include:

• Leading strategic thinking and coordination of key strategy processes for Investments whilst incorporating top-down Fund strategic imperatives and long-run portfolio configuration;
• Identifying opportunities and embedding operational improvements and scale efficiencies in the strategy development;
• Understanding the requirements of the Fund and its Members and other stakeholders (e.g. Board, Board Sub-committees, regulators), translating them into clear strategic objectives and metrics (e.g. cost, benefits, scalability, etc.);
• Driving evidence-based decision making – including appropriate and simple metrics that provide solid data for informed decisions, e.g. business strategy alignment, cost/benefit, and cost/quality/risk;
• Ensuing alignment between 10-year strategy and annual rolling 3-year Domain planning and budget, pro-actively managing costs in collaboration with Finance;
• Researching and benchmarking global asset managers and peer funds to support the operating model development (annual “Global elite funds” update + ad hoc research topics);
• Presenting insights and recommendations clearly to a variety of stakeholders to outline enhancement and change opportunities whilst ensuring alignment;
• Building a strong internal and external network with key stakeholders across investing teams in the Domain (e.g. with CIO, D-CIO, Heads of Asset Classes, Business Managers) and enabling functions within the Domain; and with other key teams outside of the Domain e.g. Member, Retirement, Technology, Risk, C&C, Finance, etc. – particularly with colleagues focused on strategy;
• Building relationships with partners outside of the Fund for the purposes of continuous benchmarking and research to support the team’s insight generation.

What You’ll Need

• Significant experience in strategy / consulting within investments or financial services;
• Ideally, a deep understanding of the superannuation industry and asset management;
• Appreciation of the investment requirements of members and understanding of different investment menu / product offerings;
• Significant experience in influencing decision-making by senior leaders;
• Demonstrated ability to lead and influence teams, drive cross-functional collaboration, and foster a culture of accountability and continuous improvement;
• Demonstrated ability to translate analysis into actions, to accelerate the delivery of strategic goals;
• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities, deliver high-quality outcomes, and adapt to changing business needs;
• Experience developing other team members (e.g. through coaching, stretch assignments etc.);
• Positive attitude and forward-thinking approach when encountering abstract or challenging situations.

Life at AustralianSuper

AustralianSuper is committed to colleague development, and we support our people with ongoing learning, coaching and training, as well as career opportunities across our expanding global organisation. We offer generous leave entitlements and promote a blended working environment in which all roles can flex, and we’re happy to discuss what this looks like for you.

We cultivate a workplace that champions safety, respect, inclusiveness and diversity.  We are committed to supporting our diverse workforce in a way that is inclusive and embraces diversity in all its forms. If you require any reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process or the role, please let our recruitment team know.

What’s Next

Apply now, if you share our values of Energy, Integrity, Generosity of Spirit and Excellent Outcomes and would like the opportunity to work in a challenging, growing and rapidly evolving team to deliver outstanding results.

AustralianSuper uses AI to review resumes and conduct initial phone interviews. This involves processing your resume, cover letter, and voice recording in Australia and the USA to help assess your suitability for the applied role. When invited to an AI phone screening, you may opt for a traditional phone screening instead. For information on how we handle your personal data, please refer to our Candidate Privacy Policy.
https://www.australiansuper.com/careers/candidate-privacy-notice 

Australian or New Zealand citizenship or Australian permanent residency status is required.  
 

Agencies please note: this vacancy is being managed directly by AustralianSuper’s Talent Acquisition team. We will contact our preferred agency partners should we require additional support. Thank you.